---
title: 'Senior Software Engineer, Test at Tin Can'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-test-tin-can-seattle-a28h12g7a2rb'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-23'
---

# Senior Software Engineer, Test at Tin Can

- **Company:** Tin Can
- **Location:** Seattle, WA
- **Compensation:** $175k–$195k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-21
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-23
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/tin-can/3377be4e-779b-4d77-854a-afae953c3eee

## Job description

Senior Software Engineer, Test

## About Tin Can

Tin Can is building a safer, simpler way for kids to connect — without smartphones. We’re creating screen-free, delightful devices and services that let families call the people who matter most, free from the noise of today’s digital world. We’re building a bold, authentic, nostalgic, and kinda quirky brand that resonates with folks who want something simpler & better for their kids than the tech-infused lives we’re currently living (and who have a sense of humor about it). As we gear up to scale to thousands of families, we’re ready to bring on an engineer to help make it happen.

## The Role

When a kid picks up a Tin Can, the call has to work the first time, every time — whether that’s a call to Grandma or a call to 911. That promise is only as good as our ability to prove it holds before a release goes out. We’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer, Test to own that proof: the automated testing that verifies every call path works, on every change, before it reaches a kid’s phone. You’ll own our end-to-end and call-path test suites and the checks that gate a release. The surfaces are real: a staging environment where a change can place an actual SIP call before it merges; a Flutter app on iOS and Android; firmware on ESP32 devices; and a call-decision engine whose scenario suite you’ll grow into our strongest safety net. You’ll work alongside our voice, app, infrastructure and firmware engineers, and you’ll be the person who defines what “tested” means here.

## What You’ll Do

- Own our end-to-end and call-path test suites — the automated checks that tell engineers a change is safe to ship
- Build automated SIP test calls that run in staging before every merge — real calls verified for connection, audio, voicemail, and the call record afterward
- Guarantee emergency calling with continuous, safe verification, so we can show that every Tin Can reaches 911
- Grow regression coverage across the paths families depend on most — voicemail, contact approval, missed calls — so every release protects them
- Automate the manual parts of our release process across mobile, backend, and firmware, so releases get faster and safer as the fleet grows
- Shape our CI/CD: what runs on every pull request, what gates a deploy, and what a failing check blocks
- Partner with firmware on repeatable release testing, and push on testability — device emulation, test hooks — so device behavior is verified automatically on every build
- Measure the suites themselves — coverage of the paths families use, signal engineers can trust, and defects caught before they ship

## What We’re Looking For

- 5+ years in software engineering, with deep experience in test automation for production systems where a failure is something a customer feels immediately
- You’ve built end-to-end suites engineers actually trust — fast, deterministic, wired into CI, and rare enough to be believed when they go red
- Comfortable in the guts of a distributed system; you can follow a request across services, read the telemetry, and write a test that proves behavior rather than restating the code
- Fluency using AI as a multiplier across diagnosis, analysis, and testing; this is how we work, not a nice-to-have
- A clear communicator who writes things down, because a test suite nobody understands is a test suite nobody maintains
- Hands-on and scrappy; you’ll build the harness, the fixtures, and the CI plumbing yourself, and you’d rather automate a test than run it twice
- A collaborative, low-ego approach — everyone here sweeps the floor
- Bonus: VoIP or telephony testing (SIP/RTP, sipp, synthetic call monitoring); mobile release testing across iOS and Android; or hardware-in-the-loop testing for embedded devices

## Why Join Tin Can

- We’re building tech that protects childhood: We’re on a quest to give kids a more analog childhood — one with real conversations, real connection, and way less screen time. No doomscrolling, data mining, or dopamine traps — just a simpler, better way for kids to stay in touch. This is a rare opportunity to build something that truly matters.
- You’ll guarantee the call that matters most: Every Tin Can can dial 911, and you’ll build the verification that proves it — then hold the same bar for every other call a family counts on, across the device, the app, and the call path.
- Small, high-trust team: Every company says “team,” but at Tin Can it means something different. We’re a small, mission-driven group that genuinely has each other’s backs — professionally and personally. You’ll be joining a tight-knit crew where your ideas and instincts matter from day one.
- Room to explore, not just execute: You’ll have the space to explore new ideas, challenge assumptions, and build systems that reflect our values of trust, simplicity, and care.

If you’re excited by the idea of making every Tin Can release something families never have to think about — and building the tests and tooling that get us there — we’d love to meet you.

## About Tin Can

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Tin Can builds a screen-free, Wi-Fi-enabled landline for kids that allows them to call approved contacts without the distractions of a smartphone.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: Seattle, Washington, United States
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Chet Kittleson, Max Blumen, and Graeme (last name not publicly available)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Consumer Services / Kids’ Communication Hardware
- **Target customers**: B2C – parents of children aged 4–13 who want a safe, screen-free phone option
- **Mission**: “Bring back the freedom of the old-school landline, updated for today’s families.”

## Products & Services
- **[Tin Can Device](https://tincan.kids/)**: A custom-designed, Wi-Fi-connected landline handset with no screen, no apps, no camera, and no browser. It plugs into a wall and connects over Wi-Fi. Parents manage contacts and quiet hours via a companion mobile app.
- **[Can2Can Plan](https://tincan.kids/)**: Free unlimited calling between two Tin Cans, no subscription required.
- **[Party Line Plan](https://tincan.kids/)**: $9.99/month subscription that allows the child to call any regular phone number (grandparents, parents’ cells, etc.) in addition to other Tin Cans. Includes 911 emergency calling.
- **Parent App**: iOS/Android app for approving contacts, setting quiet hours, and managing Do Not Disturb schedules.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Total Funding**: $5.75 M
  - Pre-Seed (May 2025): Led by PSL Ventures (9 investors)
  - Seed (Oct 2025): $3.5 M led by Data Tech Fund and PSL Ventures (8 investors)
- **Notable Investors**: PSL Ventures, Data Tech Fund, Greylock (participated in a prior round)
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Used by families in 30+ U.S. states with zero paid marketing (organic word-of-mouth)
  - Headcount grew from ~2 to 27 employees (+1,167% YoY)
  - Received 40 early prototypes hand-installed in one Seattle neighborhood; demand spread rapidly

## Competitive Advantages
- **True screen-free experience**: No apps, no texts, no browser – pure voice calling. Eliminates the risks of smartphones (social media, addictive apps, stranger danger).
- **Parental control without complexity**: Parents manage everything via a simple app; kids get independence without internet access.
- **Wi-Fi landline model**: Works with existing home Wi-Fi, no need for a cellular plan or smartphone.
- **Emergency calling**: 911 always available, even without a subscription.
- **Free Can2Can network**: Encourages peer-to-peer calling among friends who also have Tin Cans.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling production of the fully custom hardware (designed from the ground up)
- Expanding the user base beyond the initial 30 states through word-of-mouth and targeted marketing
- Building out the team (active job postings for engineering, design, marketing, and customer experience)
- Maintaining a mission-driven culture focused on intentional technology for kids

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Mission-driven startup focused on real human connection and “keeping childhood full of imagination, not notifications.” Team is passionate about intentional tech.
- **Work environment**: Hybrid/in-office options available. HQ is in Seattle with an in-office workspace; some roles are remote or hybrid.
- **Growth opportunity**: Early-stage company (27 employees) with rapid growth – employees can have outsized impact.
- **Perks**: Not detailed publicly, but typical startup perks (equity, flexible schedule) likely. The company emphasizes a “no surprises” approach to its product.
- **Team composition**: Small, cross-functional team with specialists in customer service, design, engineering, and operations.

## Sources
1. [tincan.kids](https://tincan.kids/)
2. [tincan.kids - About page](https://tincan.kids/pages/about-tin-can)
3. [Built In - Tin Can Careers](https://builtin.com/company/tin-can)
4. [LinkedIn - Tin Can](https://www.linkedin.com/company/tincankids)
5. [Jobs page - Ashby](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/tin-can)

## Other roles at Tin Can

- [Software Engineer, Growth](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-growth-tin-can-seattle-92ex3dtn35zn) — Seattle, WA
- [Software Engineer, Communities](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-communities-tin-can-seattle-r0my5ze0et0r) — Seattle, WA
- [Performance Marketing Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/performance-marketing-manager-tin-can-seattle-46tndfaagav4) — Seattle, WA
- [Director of Customer Experience](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-customer-experience-tin-can-seattle-yrfk1jmffstc) — Seattle, WA
- [Head of Legal](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-legal-tin-can-seattle-8gwhrqta68hs) — Seattle, WA
- [PR Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/pr-coordinator-tin-can-seattle-mvqpms9y8k9p) — Seattle, WA
- [International Expansion Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/international-expansion-lead-tin-can-seattle-pj7hjmxgbvzy) — Seattle, WA
- [Senior VoIP Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-voip-engineer-tin-can-seattle-w5dxw7d2wg59) — Seattle, WA
- [Lifecycle Marketing Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/lifecycle-marketing-manager-tin-can-seattle-3cpz78792ak9) — Seattle, WA
- [Senior Product Designer, Acquisition & Conversion](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-designer-acquisition-conversion-tin-can-seattle-2he14k0estfj) — Seattle, WA